The History Channel had some show on the other day about a set of Nostradamus drawings that were recently discovered, and as much as I like to pshaw at such things, they still freak me out. These guys were interpreting the drawings and talking about how 2012 is really going to be a problem with famines and giant energy waves coming from the center of the galaxy and a celestial eclipse with the Milky Way that has some disastrous portent, and Nostradamus predicting an eclipse so long that people will think the sun will never return, and the Mayans ending their calendar and the Hopis reporting the arrival of the "blue star" in that year, and it discomforts me. And then I read this.

I think maybe I'll store up some peanut butter and water in about 2011.

Report: Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months
Thursday, January 08, 2009

By Robert Roy Britt

A new study from the National Academy of Sciences outlines grim possibilities on Earth for a worst-case scenario solar storm.

Damage to power grids and other communications systems could be catastrophic, the scientists conclude, with effects leading to a potential loss of governmental control of the situation.

The prediction is based in part on major solar storm in 1859 caused telegraph wires to short out in the United States and Europe, igniting widespread fires.

It was perhaps the worst in the past 200 years, according to the new study, and with the advent of modern power grids and satellites, much more is at risk.

"A contemporary repetition of the [1859] event would cause significantly more extensive (and possibly catastrophic) social and economic disruptions," the researchers conclude.

'Command and control might be lost'

When the sun is in the active phase of its 11-year cycle, it can unleash powerful magnetic storms that disable satellites, threaten astronaut safety, and even disrupt communication systems on Earth.

The worst storms can knock out power grids by inducing currents that melt transformers.

Modern power grids are so interconnected that a big space storm — the type expected to occur about once a century — could cause a cascade of failures that would sweep across the United States, cutting power to 130 million people or more in this country alone, the new report concludes.

Such widespread power outages, though expected to be a rare possibility, would affect other vital systems.

"Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures with, for example, potable water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medications lost in 12-24 hours; immediate or eventual loss of heating/air conditioning, sewage disposal, phone service, transportation, fuel resupply and so on," the report states.

Outages could take months to fix, the researchers say. Banks might close, and trade with other countries might halt.

"Emergency services would be strained, and command and control might be lost," write the researchers, led by Daniel Baker, director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

"Whether it is terrestrial catastrophes or extreme space weather incidents, the results can be devastating to modern societies that depend in a myriad of ways on advanced technological systems," Baker said in a statement released with the report.

Stormy past

Solar storms have had significant effects in modern time:

— In 1989, the sun unleashed a tempest that knocked out power to all of Quebec, Canada.

— A remarkable 2003 rampage included 10 major solar flares over a two-week period, knocking out two Earth-orbiting satellites and crippling an instrument aboard a Mars orbiter.

"Obviously, the sun is Earth's life blood," said Richard Fisher, director of the Heliophysics division at NASA. "To mitigate possible public safety issues, it is vital that we better understand extreme space weather events caused by the sun's activity."

"Space weather can produce solar storm electromagnetic fields that induce extreme currents in wires, disrupting power lines, causing wide-spread blackouts and affecting communication cables that support the Internet," the report states. "Severe space weather also produces solar energetic particles and the dislocation of the Earth's radiation belts, which can damage satellites used for commercial communications, global positioning and weather forecasting."

Rush to prepare

The race is on for better forecasting abilities, as the next peak in solar activity is expected to come around 2012.

While the sun is in a lull now, activity can flare up at any moment, and severe space weather — how severe, nobody knows — will ramp up a year or two before the peak.

Some scientists expect the next peak to bring more severe events than other recent peaks.

"A catastrophic failure of commercial and government infrastructure in space and on the ground can be mitigated through raising public awareness, improving vulnerable infrastructure and developing advanced forecasting capabilities," the report states. "Without preventive actions or plans, the trend of increased dependency on modern space-weather sensitive assets could make society more vulnerable in the future."

The report was commissioned and funded by NASA. Experts from around the world in industry, government and academia participated. It was released this week.

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Donald Trump: “ Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys wearing yarmulkes… Those are the only kind of people I want counting my money. Nobody else…Besides that, I tell you something else. I think that’s guy’s lazy. And it’s probably not his fault because laziness is a trait in blacks.”

I have watched shit on this since before it was the popular thing to fear.

Nostradamus can suck my nut, he's a loser.

Hopi indians are 'aight'.

Mother Shipton is a made up bitch.

Merlin is more than one man, and can eat my ass.

The Mayans are ****ing crazy and amazing.

The only one that astounds me is Edgar Cayce. He didn't spout vague bullshit, but instead gave extremely detailed explanations from the mundane everyday packing info for cargo shippers (which incidentally foretold of WW2 to the year, month, day), to genius detailing of how the Nile once flowed the opposite direction and into the Atlantic (was discovered in the late 90's via satellite that the Nile River basin did in fact run opposite and into the Atlantic)... keep in mind he was almost illiterate and only read the bible.

What he describes happening in the previous decade and through the next decade is what is supposed to go down on December 21, 2012. He just didn't say it as if it were to happen all at once on one day. Instead he layed out the early warning signs of a shifting magnetic pole and the moving of the tetonic plates (he described tetonic plates 30 years before they were discovered), which is increased severe weather and earquakes as well as a warming of the planet (our wobble has our NP aimed more at the sun).

Basically, if what is possible does happen, the poles reverse and the plates all slide along together (but not friendly-like) in a matter of years (possibly even weeks), we will see some pretty major ****ing crazy shit happen. Last time the Poles did this, 25,800~ years ago, Alaska was on the ****ing Equator since the North Pole shifted 90 degrees. That pretty ****ed up.

Besides the massive earthquakes everywhere, constantly, the seaboards would be devastaed as Tsunami after Tsunami massacre all things living near the oceans, and as the shift occurs in the plates, regions of the world will be displaced. If the North and South Poles end up sitting around the equator we are going to have a shit load of melted fresh water pouring into the oceans in a very short period of time. Earth will also have cold weather flora and fauna hanging out in tropical zones, and vise versa, which is going to be a major ****ing problem. Cayce said that the landscape of the UK will change in the twinkling of an eye, and become frigid. Sucks for them.

I'm moving to Alaska and taking some guns and lots of ammo with me. Also books, especially on what not to eat, and how to make alcohol.

Figures the EArth would go through one of its "phases" when the Chiefs are about to hire somebody who can make us good... ****.

Also, good chance that this might not be as dramatic, but it will cause changes none the less, such as warmer temps worldwide for a while.... then we plunge into an iceage (a real one though, with 3 mile high walls of ice the size of canada [if we dont move to a new climate zone])! Also, I am probably wrong on 99% of this, but this is CP and Pioli rumor day, I can make anything up I want to!

I can tell you when the world will end. It will be early in 2012. The week before the Superbowl. Kansas City will have just won the AFC championship game, but alas, will not get to play. We are Chiefs fans. This is our destiny.

Gimme water, yeast, and veggie trash.
Leave it sittin' in a slurry mash.
When it's ready, put it in the still.
If you can't heat it then the sunlight will.
Draw the alcohol away, and then
Ya put the slurry back and start again.

Booze will clean your cuts or run your car.
You can make it anywhere you are.
Black powder in your cartridge shell
Will send the robbers runnin' clean to hell.
You can make 'em if you just know how,
So kids, remember what I'm tellin' you now.

-Leslie Fish

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No matter how cynical you are, it is impossible to keep up. -Lily Tomlin

I'd rather be a climbing monkey than a falling angel. -Terry Pratchett